Parables of Lost Things (Luke 15:25-32)

Parables of Lost Things - Luke 15:25-31

1.      Luke 15 is one of the great chapters in the Bible, containing three of the most well known stories told by Jesus—the story of the lost sheep in vv.3-7, the story of the lost coin in vv.8-10, and the story of the lost sons in vv.11-32.  In this study we are going to focus on just the last part of the third story in this great chapter.

2.      The key to understanding Luke 15 is found in the first two verses of this chapter.  In those verses we are introduced to two distinctly different groups of people. 

·         In verse 1 we meet “the tax-gatherers and the sinners” who were flocking to Jesus because of His message of mercy and grace.

·         In verse 2 we meet “the Pharisees and the scribes” who criticized Jesus for associating with people they considered to be immoral, unworthy, unclean, and of no value.

3.      In the wonderful story at the end of Luke 15 of the father who had two sons, both of whom were lost to him, we see both groups—“the tax-gatherers and the sinners” and “the Pharisees and the scribes”—portrayed.  There is word for both of those groups in this great story.

·         The younger son, the one who left home, represents “the tax-gatherers and sinners” introduced in verse 1.  Those people had obviously strayed away from God.  They had fallen into sins of the flesh which were apparent for all to see.  The son who left home and returned to be received by his father is a reminder that God does not reject such people when they turn to Him.

·         The older son, the who stayed home, represents “the Pharisees and the scribes” introduced in verse 2.  These self-righteous religious people failed to understand that there is another type of sin in addition to sins of the flesh.  While “the Pharisees and the scribes” may have carefully avoided the outward sins of the flesh, they were infected with sins of the spirit.  The older brother in this story reminds us that in the eyes of God, sins of the spirit are as reprehensible to God as sins of the flesh.  I want to direct your attention to the part of this story that deals with the older brother.  (text – Luke 15:25-32)

T.S. – If you were asked to make a list of the worst sins a person could commit, what would be on your list?  Of course, the worst sin of all is the sin, the only sin for which there is no forgiveness, is rejecting God’s self-revelation in Christ.  But other than that, what would you list as the worst sins?  If you are like most people, you list would include things like murder, stealing, sexual immorality, lying, cheating.  If those are the kinds of things you would list, you can be sure that Jesus would disagree.  While never condoning sins of the flesh, Jesus recognized that sins of the spirit are just as, if not more, reprehensible in the eyes of God.  From the example of the older brother in this story, I want to point out to you some sins of the spirit about which we need constantly to be on guard.  These sins of the spirit are expressed in our attitude about self, God, and others.

I.    We need to be on guard against pride which is demonstrated primarily in our attitude toward ourselves.

1.   Many theologians view pride as the root of all other human sin.  And there is evidence in the Bible that God sees it that way too.  For example, in Proverbs 6 is a list of seven things said to be an abomination to God.  The very first thing on the list is word which essentially means pride.

2.      Root meaning of word "pride" is to lift up or exalt oneself.  Pride was motivation for very first sin.  Adam and Eve disobeyed God because wanted exalt selves to level of God.  The serpent promised them if ate of forbidden fruit, they would be like God.  And every person since Adam and Eve has struggled with temptation of exalting self, of lifting self up over others.

3.      That is what the older brother in this story did.  He obviously viewed himself as being far superior to his younger brother.  After all, he had not made the kind of mistakes his younger brother made.  He had not demanded his share of the family inheritance, left home, and wasted his money in immoral living. And he was angry that his brother, who had done all those things, was welcomed home with party.

4.      The words of the older brother in vv.29‑30 reek with attitude of pride.  Notice the repeated use of personal pronouns in his statement.  Five times in one sentence the older brother says “I” “me” or “my.”  Listen to his words:  "...for so many years I have been serving you, and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have  never given me a kid, that I might be merry with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has  devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him..."

4.      Can't you just hear the attitude of pride/superiority in his words?  While he gladly points out the sin of his brother, there is no mention whatsoever of his own sin.  No  mention—

·         That he was totally insensitive to the feelings of his father concerning the return of lost son

·         That he had been harboring anger and bitterness and resentment in his heart toward his younger brother

His pride had blinded him to his faults and magnified the faults of others, even to the point that he found fault with his father for welcoming home his lost son.

5.   And that is one thing pride does to us.  It invariably causes us to magnify the faults of others and to minimize our own faults. That’s the point of that ridiculously exaggerated illustration Jesus used in the Sermon on the Mount about the person trying to remove speck of dust from another person’s eye but not noticing the large beam sticking out of his own eye.  Pride puffs us up.  It makes us self-centered.  It causes us to be blind to our own faults and shortcomings.  And we must constantly be on guard against it.

II.  We need to be on guard against living a grim life of “joylessness” which is demonstrated primarily in our attitude toward God.

1.      However else we may describe the older son in story, we certainly cannot describe him as living a joyful life.  His statement in verse 29, “...for so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours...” indicates to me that he did the right things with the wrong motive.  He served and obeyed, not so much because he loved the father, but because it was expected of him.  It was the thing he was supposed to do, and so he gritted his teeth and did it.

2.      Here was a man who had the privilege of living every day in the presence of his father, and yet he found no joy in that.  His life was characterized by they joyless existence of dull monotony.

3.      Helmut Thielicke, the German theologian, wrote a wonderful sermon based on the life of the older son in this story.  Here is one thing he said in that sermon:  “...the worst thing that can happen to our Christianity is to let it become a thing taken for granted, which we wear around every day, just as the older brother wore, and wore out, his existence in the father’s house as he would wear an old, tattered shirt.  The marvel of God’s gracious act upon our life never really dawns upon us unless we render thanks to him every day.  Only the man who gives thanks retains the wonder of God’s fatherly love in his thoughts.  But one who has this wonder in his thoughts keeps the very spring and freshness of his Christianity.  He holds on daily and nightly, to a living joy in his Lord and Saviour.  He knows that all this is not mere ideas and habits, but life, and fullness, and joy.”  [The Waiting Father, p.35]

4.      We must never forget that God calls us to life and fullness and joy, and not merely grim existence.  We should have about us a sense of wonder and excitement because we live every moment in the very presence of our Heavenly Father.

5.      Earlier this week Carol and I took our youngest grandchild, Heath, Christmas shopping.  He is 4 years old and his enthusiasm for life is amazing.  Every time he sees us his first statement is, “Mimi & Pa, I have missed you so much!”  And he always says that as if he has not seen us in years. 

6.      And that is how God wants us to live each day in relation to Him.  We should exclaim every day, “Father, I’ve missed you so much.  It is a joy to live in your presence.”  We need constantly to guard ourselves against a grim life of joylessness.

III. We need to be on guard against a critical spirit which is demonstrated primarily in our attitude toward others.

1.      Having an attitude of pride in relation to ourselves and grim joylessness in relation to God, inevitably leads to negative, bitter, critical spirit toward others.  That is apparently what happened to the older brother.  You can be sure this wasn't the first time he had criticized the younger brother.  More than likely that was pattern of his life.  As matter fact, some Bible scholars contend that it may have been negative carping of older brother that caused younger son to leave home in first place.  Maybe the younger son just became fed up with the constant critical attitude of his older brother.  The day finally came when he said, "That's it! I've had it! I won't stay another moment in this house!" and he took his inheritance and left.

2.      Have you ever been around person who is impossible to please?  That is certainly not pleasant place to be.

--they never see the positive, only the negative...

--they never see the opportunity, only the problems...

--to them the clouds never have a silver lining...

--to them the glass is always half empty, never half full...

They are always...

--expecting the worst...

--constantly predicting doom and gloom...

--unhappy about something or someone...

--negative and critical...

1.      Exactly how Pharisees, to whom story was originally directed, were.  All they could do was grumble and complain that Jesus was associating with sinful people.  They refused allow themselves see any good in what He was doing.

2.      Want you know that kind of spirit is poison for in life of an individual and poison in life of a family, and poison in the life of a church.  Nothing will destroy the witness of a Christian, the harmony of a home, or the fellowship of a church faster than for people be characterized by negativism and criticism.  We need to be on guard against that kind of spirit.

CONCLUSION

1.      The way Jesus chose to end this story is intriguing.  He does not tell us how the older son responded to the pleadings of the father.  Did he make an attitude adjustment and go into the house, make peace with his brother, and join the celebration?  Or did he stay outside, a pouting, bitter, tragic figure? 

2.      It's almost as if Jesus leaves the story for us to finish for ourselves.  And in doing that, He may well have been saying to us, "The choice is yours.  You can live a limited restricted life dominated by an attitude of—

·         Pride toward yourself

·         Grim, joylessness toward God

·         Criticism toward others

      Or you can reject the path of pride, joylessness, and criticism and choose to find rich, full, abundant life in relationship with the Father.

3.      And as we make that choice, we would do well to remember that sins of the spirit (as seen in life of the older brother) are just as reprehensible to God as sins of the flesh (as seen in life of younger brother).

The Parable of the Dinner - Luke 14:15-24

Parable of the Dinner - Luke 14:16-24

1.       Not long after Carol and I were married, we moved from Houston to Ft. Worth where I attended seminary.  We had been in Ft. Worth just a couple of months when I got an invitation to preach at a very small rural church in Parker County not far outside of Weatherford.  They invited me back a couple of more times and finally asked me to be their very part-time pastor.  Looking back on that, I now understand they called me not because of any ability I had but because Carol could play the piano, and they were in desperate need of a church pianist.

2.       It is a long way from the suburbs of Houston to rural Parker County.  We were at that church for four years and found the people to be wonderful, compassionate people.  However, some of them, living as they did, had much different standards of hygiene than Carol and I had.  There was one particular family who were the nicest people you could ever know but who lived in an environment that just made our skin crawl.  From time to time, they would invite Carol and me to their home for Sunday lunch.  That was always a tough day for us! 

3.       When we went to their home, I would stay out in the yard with the man of the house and Carol would go into the kitchen (and after shooing the animals out!) would help prepare lunch.  On one particular Sunday when we sat down with them to eat, I noticed that Carol ate nothing but mashed potatoes.  That kind of embarrassed me and as we were driving back to the seminary I asked her why she had done that.  Her explanation made perfect sense to me.  She told me that she had prepared the mashed potatoes, so she knew they were relatively clean.  After that, whenever we were invited to the home of that family, I watched Carol and ate what she ate!

4.       Looking back on that, I realize that was not a very gracious thing to do.  I am sure if our hosts noticed what we were doing (and I don’t see how they could have missed it!) they thought we were a little strange. 

5.      In this session I want to direct your attention back to Luke 14, at which we looked in our last meeting.  In Luke 14 Jesus is attending a dinner at the home of one of the leaders of the Pharisees.  And at this dinner Jesus did and said some things that, no doubt, his host viewed as strange and offensive.  The very first verse of Luke 14 tells us something very significant about this dinner.  It tells us that “...they were watching Him closely.”  In other words, Jesus was invited to this dinner not because the host wanted to socialize with Him but because he wanted to scrutinize Him.  Perhaps the Pharisees were looking for some weakness in Jesus that they could use against Him.  It’s interesting that instead of shrinking from the challenge, Jesus took advantage of the setting to challenge the thinking of the Pharisees.

·         In verses 2-6, Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, doing something the Pharisees viewed as a sin.  By his action Jesus rebuked them for their lack of compassion.

·         In verses 7-11, on which we focused in our previous session, Jesus criticized them for their lack of humility which caused them to jockey for the seats of honor at such dinners.

·         In verses 12-14, criticized them for their selfishness which caused them to invite into their homes only those who could return the invitation.

6.      After that series of events, you can imagine the awkward silence that must have fallen over that dinner.  To break the silence, someone blurted out in verse 15, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”  To “...eat bread in the kingdom of God...” means to participate in God’s Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God means the reign of God, the rule of God in our hearts.  To participate in God’s Kingdom is the same thing as being saved, being born again, being a Christian.  And when that person blurted out that statement, Jesus took the opportunity to tell a story designed to remind those who heard it that day and those who hear it in our day, that it is possible to miss out on the Kingdom of God.  God has invited us to a great party, but we can turn down then invitation.  Listen to what Jesus said. (Text – Luke 14:16-24)

T.S. – What a great invitation we have all received.  We are invited into the very presence of God!  We are invited to live our lives in continuous relationship with the God of the universe, the One Who created us!  But the last verse of this paragraph where Jesus says, “For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner...” reminds us that it is possible to be invited but to miss the banquet!  I want you to see in this story some things that will cause us to miss out on God’s invitation to genuine fellowship with Him

I.    We miss God’s invitation to fellowship with Him when we fail to understand that the invitation us is based on God’s grace, not our merit.

1.      Notice the very first thing Jesus said in verse 16 – “A man was giving a big dinner...”  We are likely, in our haste to get to the rest of the story, to skip right over that.  But we shouldn’t.  It is a very important statement.  The “man” in this parable obviously represents God.  The “dinner” represents the offer to live in fellowship with God.  It is significant that Jesus says the dinner was being given.  As the story unfolds, it is obvious that the guests were not invited based on their merit.  They were invited based on the graciousness of the man giving the dinner.

2.      That little statement reminds us of the most important thing we can know about salvation.  Salvation is not something we do; it is something God gives. 

·         We do not enter into fellowship with God because we deserve to do so. 

·         We do not have an on-going relationship with God because we, in some way, have earned that right.

·         We do not experience forgiveness of our sin and cleansing from our sin on the basis of merit.

Salvation is not based on what we do; it is based on the grace of God.  As it has often been said, “We do not achieve salvation; we receive salvation.”

3. Martin Luther, the great reformer was a man  of great intellect, but Luther had a way of reducing great theological truths to simple statements.  Luther summed up all of Christian theology in three simple, yet profound, statements:

·         “sola scriptura” – Scripture alone (What we believe must be based upon Scripture.)

·         “sola gratias” – Grace alone (Our salvation is not dependent on what we do but what God has done for us in Christ.)

·         ”sola fide” – Faith alone (Our response to what God, in His grace, has done for us is simply to accept or believe.) [Richard Foster, Freedom of Simplicity, pp. 61-61]

4. And until we understand that God’s invitation to us comes from His grace and not our merit, we will always miss the life to which He invites us.

II.  We miss God’s invitation to fellowship with Him when we fail to understand that the invitation is not exclusive but inclusive.

1.   Look at the rest of that statement in verse 16.  “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many...”  And as the story unfolds, it is quite clear that no one was left out or excluded from this invitation. 

2.   Three distinct groups of people were invited to this dinner.

·         The first group, introduced in verses 16 & 17, was made up of those who had been informed of the dinner in advance.  This reflects a common custom in the 1^st century.  Guests were invited and accepted a dinner invitation days in advance, not knowing the precise time of the dinner.  On the day of the dinner, when everything was ready, the host would send for those who had promised to come.  When the host sent word that it was time for the meal, those who had previously accepted the invitation all began to make excuses about why they could not come.  Many commentators interpret this group as being the nation Israel.  Through the prophets God told Israel of the coming Messiah.  When the Messiah came, He first came to Israel.  However, by and large Israel rejected Him.

·         The second group, introduced in verse 21, was made up of those in the “streets and lanes of the city.”  While these people may have been Jewish, because they were “...poor and crippled and blind and lame...” they were excluded from full participation in the religious community of the 1^st century.  They were looked down upon as being inferior and unworthy.

·         The third group, introduced in verse 23, was made up of those in “...the highways and hedges...”  This was outside the city and probably is a reference to travelers of all sorts, including non-Jews.

3. It has been suggested that this parable is a foreshadowing of the command Jesus gave the church in Acts 1:8 when He said, “...you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and all Judea (Jewish people), and Samaria (those considered outcasts and unclean), and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (those in the highways and hedges)
4. And the point is that all people are invited to God’s banquet table, to fellowship with God.  No one is left out.  No one is excluded.  The invitation is open to all.  And until we understand that, we will miss the life to which He invites us.

III. We miss God’s invitation to fellowship with Him when we fail to respond personally to the invitation.

1.   To enter the Kingdom, to experience the rich, full, abundant life of fellowship with Him that begins in this world and extends throughout all eternity, requires a personal response from us.  This is not a life you can enter into by proxy.  Someone else cannot make the decision for you.  You must come to the point in your life of saying “yes” to God’s invitation.

2.   There is a little phrase in this parable that in the history of the church has been grossly misinterpreted and misused.  I’m referring to the phrase in verse 23, “...and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled...”  That statement has been interpreted by some that phrase as a command that we are to coerce people, force people into becoming followers of Jesus.  But that is not at all what Jesus is saying here.  If you look carefully at the ministry of Jesus, you will see that He never used forced to get anyone to follow Him.  The decision to follow was always a voluntary decision.  As a matter of fact, Jesus often stressed the difficulty of following and warned people that there is a cost in following.  What did He say?  “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)

3.   Actually, this parable reminds us of some things we must leave behind to follow Christ.

·         The man who refused the invitation because he had bought some land allowed possessions to keep him from the party.

·         The man who refused the invitation because he had bought some oxen (the tools of his trade) allowed profession to keep him from the party.

·         The man who refused the invitation because he had married a wife allowed a person to keep him from the party.

And the point of all that is nothing—not what we have, not what we do, not who we know—must be more important to us than relationship with God.

4.   We will miss God’s great invitation to live in fellowship with Him if we refuse to make the decision of laying all that we are and all that we have at His feet.  We do that by-

·         Admitting our need for God (The Bible calls that confession.)

·         Turning from self to God (The Bible calls that repentance.)

·         Accepting Jesus into our lives (The Bible calls that believing.)

3. And until we make that personal response to God, we will miss the party.

Conclusion

1.   I remember reading some time ago about a small Episcopal church in the mountains of North Carolina known as The Church of the Frescoes.  A fresco is a mural done in plaster, and this little church contains several outstanding frescoes.  One stretches across the entire back wall of the sanctuary and it is a depiction of the Last Supper.  You would think the focus of the painting would be Jesus, but in this case it is not.  While Jesus is prominently displayed, the central object in the fresco is a stool—an empty stool—which is directly across the table from Jesus.  The stool beckons to all who look at the painting to come and take their place in the loving fellowship of Jesus.

2.   That’s the message of this parable of the dinner on Luke 14.  Through His grace God has made it possible for any person who responds in faith to His Son to live in eternal fellowship with Him.

The Parable of the Guests (Luke 14:7-11)

Luke 14:7-11 - The Parable of the Guests

1.      Some of you will remember that old country song by Mac Davis with the chorus that says:

Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way

I can’t wait to look in the mirror ‘cause I get better lookin’ each day

To know me is to love me, I must be a [heck] of a man

Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble, but I’m doin’ the best that I can.

2.      Not only is it hard to be humble, it is also not cool.  Actually, it never has been.  The basic biblical word that is translated humble or humility in the New Testament was never used in classical Greek literature with a positive connotation.  Because of that, it has been said that humility is a virtue created by Christianity and introduced to the world through Christianity.  In the New Testament the word humble (which means to make low or to bow before as opposed to exalting or building up) is always used in a positive connotation.  The Scripture teaches that we are to desire humility. 

·         Zephaniah 2:3 instructs us to “...seek righteousness [and] seek humility...”

·         Colossians 3:12 tells us to “...put on a heart of ... humility...”

·         I Peter 5:5 tells us to “...clothe yourselves in humility toward one another...”

·         I Peter 5:6 instructs us to “...humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God...”

      Humility is such an important virtue that Jonathan Edwards, the great early American preacher, described humility as “...one of the most essential things that characterizes true Christianity.”  It ranks right up there with love as the highest of Christian virtues.

3.      In this study we are going to focus on another of Jesus’ parables found only in the Gospel of Luke.  This parable, found In Luke 14:7-11, has much to teach us about humility.  It was a Sabbath day (Saturday, the Jewish day of worship) and Jesus had been invited to the home of one of the leaders of the Pharisees for a dinner.  

T.S. – To understand that story you have to understand something about the dining customs in the first century.  The homes of wealthy, influential people—and certainly the leader of the Pharisees who was hosting this dinner would be in that category—generally had a spacious room which was used for large dinners.  The tables in the room were arranged in a horseshoe configuration.  There were no chairs; instead guests would recline on pillows on the floor around the low tables. Generally the host would sit at the head of the horseshoe, sometimes in the middle and sometimes toward one of the ends.  The seats closest to the host were considered the most honored seats.  Generally, the seats were not assigned.  The people in that culture knew their status in relation to other people, so they just knew where to sit.  But it was always dangerous to take a seat before the other guests arrived.  For there was the possibility that someone with a higher status than you would show up and you would have to give up your seat.  To avoid this embarrassing situation, Jesus said, “Play it safe.  Take the lowest place at the table, then you can only move up!” 

Of course, this story is not just about table etiquette; it’s about life.  Jesus is saying, “Choose to live in humility.  And if you do, you will discover that your life will be better.”  But the question is, “How do we do that?  How do we bridle our ego, our deeply engrained desire to be praised, our constant struggle for recognition and choose a way of living that, on the surface, seems so unnatural to us?”  It seems impossible, but fortunately the Scripture gives us some clear direction about this.  Look at I Peter 5:5b-6. Those verses tell us a couple of very important things about how to choose to live in humility.

I.    We choose to live in humility by recognizing our dependence on God

1.   It is important to understand where humility begins and what humility is.  Humility does not begin with us; it begins with God.  And humility is not about self-depreciation; it is about God appreciation.  The truly humble person is not the person who is always talking about how bad or weak or inadequate he or she is.  Being humble does not mean that we spend our time and energy—

·         Putting ourselves down

·         Beating ourselves up

·         Viewing ourselves as lowly creatures who have no worth.

2. Instead, humility is the kind of spirit that recognizes who we really are.  It recognizes that we are not God.  We are not the Creator; we are the created ones.  It’s the kind of spirit expressed by the psalmist when he exclaimed, “Know that the Lord Himself is God.  It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.  We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. [Psalm 100:3]  And understanding who we are keeps us from living a life of arrogant self-centeredness and reminds us to live with a quiet confidence, a steady trust in God.  To choose humility essentially means to place our lives in God’s hands with a spirit of utter confidence and complete trust.  And, the truth is, that is very difficult for us to do because we just naturally trust ourselves more than we trust God.
3. Notice the command of I Peter 5:6.  It is not merely “...humble yourselves...”  That is not enough.  The command is to “...humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God...”   And that phrase makes all the difference in the world.  “The mighty hand of God...” is a common Old Testament phrase that is used to describe God’s protection over and deliverance of His people.  In Solomon’s great prayer of dedication for the Temple in I Kings 8, he spoke of the Temple as being a place where people would hear of God’s “...great name...mighty hand...and outstretched harm...”
4. There’s a beautiful promise here that I don’t want you to miss.  As we humble ourselves, make ourselves low before God, we don’t become weak; we become strong.  We don’t lose; we gain.  We don’t find darkness; we find light.  We bow to God’s “...mighty hand...” and find it completely adequate for all of our needs. 
5. I think that’s what Jesus meant at the end of the parable in Luke 14 when He said in verse 11, “For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
6. Tom Elliff tells about meeting with his friend, Ron Dunn, shortly after Ron Dunn and his wife had come home to find the body of their son who had committed suicide...Eliff said to his friend, “I have no words that I can say to ease your pain.  I just want to be with you.  But I’ve got to know, what is that has kept you going through all this?”  And there is what Ron Dunn said, “I’ve been to the very bottom and I have discovered that there is rock down there and you can stand on it!”
7. Choosing to live in humility means to stand on the Rock -- to live in the recognition of our complete, utter dependence upon God and our helplessness apart from Him.

II. We choose to live in humility by giving ourselves away in service to others.

1.      The instruction in I Peter 5:5 is “...clothe yourselves with humility toward one another...”  The word translated “clothe” comes from the word for “knot” as in to tie a knot.  It literally means to tie a piece of cloth to one’s body.  There is a graphic picture behind this word that anyone who lived in the culture of the 1^st century would immediately see.  In that world, between one-third and one-half of the people were slaves.  Slaves would tie on a white scarf or white apron over their other clothing to identify themselves as slaves.  What this verse is saying is that Christians are to tie on the scarf or the apron of humility, and by doing so we show the world that we belong to Christ.

2.      How do we do that?  There is only one way.  By giving ourselves away in service to others.  Service is the tangible, outward expression of inward humility.  No matter how much we talk about humility, no matter what humble demeanor we maintain, if we are not serving people we are not choosing the path of humility.

3.      There is a sense in which we do not choose humility; it chooses us.  We don’t really get humility by chasing after it.  Humility comes as a by-product of serving others.  In the 1700’s William Law wrote a classic book entitled A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life.  He pointed out the relationship between service and humility.  He says that if we want humility then “...condescend to all the weaknesses and infirmities of your fellow-creatures, cover their frailties, love their excellencies, encourage their virtues, relieve their wants, rejoice in their prosperities, [show compassion] in their distress, receive their friendship, overlook their unkindness, forgive their malice, be a servant of servants...” [Quoted by Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline, p.131]  That is the path to humility.

4. There is a beautiful story about D.L. Moody, the famous evangelist...he invited a group of pastors from Europe to a Bible conference in the United States...following the European custom of the time,  each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But of course there were no hall servants in America.  Walking through the halls that night, Moody saw the shoes and determined not to embarrass his brothers. He gathered up the shoes, and, alone in his room, the world’s only famous evangelist began to clean and polish the shoes. Only the unexpected arrival of a friend in the midst of the work revealed the secret.  When the foreign visitors opened their doors the next morning, their shoes were shined. They never know by whom.[Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence, (Victor Books, a division of SP Publ., Wheaton, Ill; 1985), p. 98]

5.      That is the kind of service that results in genuine humility.

Conclusion

1.   Does it really work?  Is it true ... what Jesus said about those who humble themselves being exalted?  Well, it certainly worked in His life!  Jesus is the perfect example of humility toward both God and others.

·         Jesus trusted the Father fully and completely.  He placed His life in God’s hands, He perfectly obeyed, He never wavered from God’s plan.  The Scripture says that Jesus “...humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross...” [Phil.2:8]

·         And in relation to others, Jesus served without reservation.  He said that He came “...not to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom for many...” [Matt.20:28]

And the result was that “...God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name...” [Philippians 2:9]

2.   And Jesus says that principle is at work in our lives as well.  “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” [Luke 14:11]

The Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21)

The Rich Fool - Luke 12:13-21

The man in this story would be considered a success by almost any measure the world uses to determine success.  But that’s not how God viewed this man.  God’s analysis of this man’s life was direct, to the point, and brutally honest.  His entire life is summed up in the simple statement in verse 20, “You fool!”   That doesn’t mean the man was not intelligent or talented or motivated.  There a plenty of intelligent, talented, motivated fools in the world.  The word “fool” is not a description of this man’s mental capacity or natural abilities.  Instead, it is a commentary on his spiritual discernment.  He did not have the spiritual discernment to value those things in life that are really valuable.  I want to list five foolish things that we are constantly tempted to do in the culture in which we live.

I.    We are foolish to trade our health for possessions.

1.   It seems to me that the rich man in this story was a typical “Type A” personality.  He was hard-driving, hard-working, never satisfied with the status quo.  There is an interesting statement about him in verse 17.  The first part of that verse says, “And he began reasoning to himself...”  The word from which the word “reasoning” is translated is the Greek word from which our word dialogue comes.  In other words, he began to have a dialogue, a conversation with himself.  The blessing of the bumper crop made him start talking to himself!  What was he going to do with all that abundance?  The only solution this “Type A” person could see was to keep expanding—tear down the old barns and build bigger barns.

2.   Could it be that his hard driving personality, his insatiable desire for more is what caused him to die?  Was he so caught up in stuff that he worried and worked himself to death?  We can’t really say if that was the case for him or not.  But we certainly can say that it happens to many people in our culture.  They live under such stress and are so bent making a dollar, that the time comes when the stress catches up with them and their health begins to fail.

3.   There is a classic story about two men.  One was very wealthy but in poor health.  The other was very poor but in excellent health.  The wealthy man would give anything for a healthy body and the poor man would give anything to be wealthy.  In this story there was a world famous surgeon who was able to give them both what they wanted.  He had perfected a technique to do brain transplants.  The wealthy man gave the poor man all his wealth and the poor man gave the wealthy man his healthy body just by allowing this surgeon to switch their brains.  But that’s not the end of the story. 

·         The formerly poor man suddenly found himself surrounded by incredible wealth.  He didn’t know how to use it and quickly squandered to away.  However, the sickly body he had inherited became healthy again when he was not burden with the stress and anxiety of managing a large amount of possession. 

·         On the other hand, the formerly wealthy man who was given the healthy body of a poor man began to use his expertise to accumulate more money.  But the more the money piled up, the more his new found health began to deteriorate as dealt with the stress and anxiety of managing his new found wealth. 

The story ends with both men back where they started—one wealthy in a sick body and the other poor in a healthy body. [Eric Butterworth, Unity of Life, New York: Harper & Row, 1969]

4.   I don’t share that to imply our only options in life are to be wealthy and sick or poor and well.  But I share it to remind you it is foolish to be so driven with accumulating things that we destroy our health in the process.

II.  We are foolish to live only for ourselves.

1.   The man in this story was obviously a very self-centered person.  When he had that conversation with himself about what to do with the extra crops he had harvested, he focused on only one option—how to keep it for himself.  The thought of giving the extra away to other people never even crossed his mind.

2.   It is interesting that in three verses—verses 17, 18, & 19—this man uses the personal pronouns “I” or “my” not less than eleven (11) times.  In his eyes, life was all about him.  He did not care about anyone else.  One person described him as having “...full barns, but an empty heart.” [Brett Blair, “Building Barns, Postponing Life” esermons.com]  He was just the opposite of the woman described by St. Jerome in around 400 A.D. who, according to him, “...preferred to store her money in the stomachs of the needy than in her purse.” [Ibid]

3.   One of the very best things you can do for yourself is simply learn to be a giver rather than a hoarder.  You are missing one of the great blessings of life if you horde everything you have for yourself.  That’s why the God says so much to us in Scripture about giving.  We are to give, not because God needs our money, but because we need the experience.

III. We are foolish to measure our self-worth in terms of our net-worth.

1.   It is fairly obvious that the man in this story was feeling pretty good about himself.  After all, everything seemed to be going his way.  As his assets increased, his value in his own eyes increased as well.  No doubt there was a certain sense of pride in his financial success.  In his mind, who he was was all tied up in what he possessed.

2.   That is one of the most subtle and insidious temptations we face as we live in the affluence of 21^st century America.  We live under constant pressure to place excessive value on the accumulation of certain things.  It has been estimated that by the time a person in our culture graduates from high school, that person has been bombarded with more than 350,000 commercials designed to convince him or her that the way to be successful is to have certain material things.  And some people run themselves ragged to be able to wear the right clothes, drive the right car, live in the right house that says to others, “See, I am a successful, worthwhile, valuable person.”

3.   Philosopher Sidney J. Harris wrote:  “Men may be divided almost any way we please, but I have found the most useful distinction to be made is between those who devote their lives to conjugating the verb ‘to be’ and those who spend their lives conjugating the verb ‘to have.’”  In other words, some people devote their lives to being something and others devote their lives to having something.

4.   As Christians, we need to remember our self-worth does not come from—

·         What we have but from who we are!

·         What we have but from Who has us!

We belong to God.  We are His special possessions.  He made us and redeemed us.  We have dignity and value and worth not because of how many material possessions we may have but because of who we are in Jesus.

IV. We are foolish to confuse what we want with what we need.

1. The man in this story had some incredible wants.  He wanted to be able just to sit back and enjoy life.  As he put it, he wanted to take his “...ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” (verse 19)  That’s not necessarily what he needed, but it is what he wanted.
2. Probably none of us needs all that we think we do.  When you get right down to it, our needs are rather simple.

·         Physically, we need food for the day, clothes for our bodies, and shelter from the elements.

·         Emotionally, we need people to love us and a purpose for our lives.

·         Spiritually, we need to live in relationship with the God who created us.

Beyond those basic things, just about everything else falls into the category of wants.  And when we confuse what we really need with what we merely want, we tend to get our values all confused.

3.   Do you remember Leo Tolstoy’s, the Russian novelist, famous story?  The story is about a farmer who was not satisfied with his lot in life.  One day a farmer received a novel offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day. The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown. Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground. Well into the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point. He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost. As the sun began to sink below the horizon he came within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth. In a few minutes he was dead. Afterwards, his servants dug a grave. It was not much over six feet long and three feet wide. The title of Tolstoy's story was: How Much Land Does a Man Need? (Adapted from Bits & Pieces, November, 1991.)   

4.   Confusing our wants with or needs is foolish because it can be deadly.

V.  We are foolish to look to possessions for security.

1.   That, of course, is the main point of this story.  The rich man thought his abundance of possessions guaranteed him security.  He made the erroneous assumption that because his crop was big, his problems were over.  But, of course, that was not the case.  His possessions did him no good when death came knocking on his door.

2.   And his life is a graphic reminder of the foolishness of depending on material possessions for security.  The only real security in life is found in relationship with God.  Everything else is temporary, it is passing away.  Verse 21 makes it clear that anyone who looks to temporary material things for eternal security is a fool.  In that verse Jesus said that just as the rich man in this story was a fool, “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

3.   The only lasting security is found in the God.  Hebrews 13:5 says it so well:  “Make sure your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.’”  If it is security you want, you will never find it in things, only in God.

Conclusion

1.   If someone were to write the obituary for this man in the first century world, I am certain his death would have been described as a tragedy.  After all, he seemed to have been in the very prime of his life.  Everything was going so well for him.  It had all come together.  And suddenly he dies.  But the truth is, it is not his death that was a tragedy; it was his life.  His life was a tragedy because he--

·         Traded his health for possessions

·         Lived only for himself

·         Measured his self-worth in terms of his net-worth

·         Confused what he wanted with what he needed

·         Looked to possession for security

May we have the wisdom to avoid making those mistakes in our lives!

The Good Samaritan

The Good Samaritan

(Luke 10:25-37)

1.      Jesus was a master storyteller.  He often taught great spiritual truths by telling stories about the common, ordinary events of life. 

2.      All four gospels contain parables Jesus told, but they play an especially significant role in the Gospel of Luke.  About 1/3 of the Gospel of Luke is in parables.  In Luke’s Gospel are recorded more than 35 parables, and at least 11 of them are unique to Luke, not being recorded in Matthew, Mark, or John.  And it is interesting that some of the best known stories Jesus told—the good Samaritan, rich fool, the lost coin, the prodigal son, the rich man and Lazarus, the Pharisee and the Publican, etc—are found only in the Gospel of Luke.

3.      Between now and the end of the year, we are going to focus on some of these great, well-known stories that are unique to Luke’s Gospel.  In this session, I want to direct you attention to Luke 10:25-37. (text)

T.S. - There are many things to be learned from this classic story.  I want to focus on the word “neighbor” which occurs three times in the verses I just read.  The lawyer who asked the questions which sparked the telling of this story wanted a definition of the word “neighbor.”  Instead of giving him his definition, Jesus gave an example of a man who acted in a neighborly way.  In effect Jesus was saying, “If you have to ask who your neighbor is, you are missing the whole point.  Let me show you how a good neighbor acts.”  And then He told the story.  I want to point out to you today some things we can learn from this story about being a good neighbor to others. 

I.    Good neighbors understand that life is all about relationships.

1.      The starting point to understanding this parable is understanding the question the lawyer asked in verse 25.  Look at the question:  “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  G. Campbell Morgan, one of my favorite New Testament scholars, says that there is no greater question in all of life than that, but not for the reason we may think. 

·         When we hear the phrase “eternal life” we immediately think of life which lasts forever.  While it is true that there is certainly is life beyond this life.  And while it is true that the question of where we will spend eternity is the most important question any of us will ever answer.  If we get the answer that question wrong, ultimately it does not matter what else we get right!  G. Campbell Morgan points out that the lawyer probably did not use the phrase “eternal life” to mean life which lasts forever.

·         Among the Jewish rabbis of the 1^st century, some of whom did not even believe in an afterlife, the phrase “eternal life” was used to mean full life, complete life, life with meaning.  That would have been the most natural way for this lawyer to use that phrase.  In effect he was asking Jesus, “How do I find meaning for my life? How can I move beyond mere existence to full, rich life?”

2.      As was so typical of Jesus, He did not answer the man directly.  Actually, He answered with a question. 

·         Basically Jesus said to him, “You are a lawyer, aren’t you? (Not in the secular sense, but in the religious sense.  He was an expert in the Torah, the first five books of the OT) What does the law say?” 

·         And to his credit, the man nailed it.  He gave precisely the right answer, the exact answer that Jesus gave to a similar question on another occasion.  He said, “The law says that we are to love God and to love our neighbor as our self.” 

·         In response to his answer Jesus said, “Right!  Do those two things and you will find the meaning in life you are seeking.”  But that did not satisfy this man.  In effect the man replied, “I know who God is, but who is my neighbor whom I am suppose to love?”  And in response to that exchange Jesus told the parable we call the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

3.      What is Jesus saying in this story?  Is He saying that the way to go to heaven is to show compassion to those in need?  No!  That would be contrary to all the New Testament teaches about gaining eternal salvation.  Eternal salvation is not something we achieve through our efforts; it is something we receive as a result of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Jesus is not saying in this story that we earn eternal salvation by caring for people.  But, He is saying that the way to find meaningful, full, rich life in this world is by investing our lives in people. 

4.      Life is all about relationships.  If we would but learn and practice that simple truth, our lives would be immeasurably better.  The kind of relationships we have with other people—family, friends, neighbors, co-workers—is what gives meaning, depth, quality to our lives. 

·         No matter how much we may accumulate in this world, apart from meaningful relationships with others, possessions possess no real meaning.  . 

·         No matter what we may accomplish in this world, without people in our lives with whom we can share them, the greatest of accomplishments leave us empty. 

And when we understand that life is all about relationships and not just what we possess or what we accomplish, we will not make much better life decisions.  We will not use people, abuse people, manipulate people, be dishonest with people just to gain a few more dollars or a little more power.  Instead, we will do as Jesus did, and relate to people with kindness, compassion, honesty, and integrity.  We will not view people as merely a means to some other end; we will see our relationships with them as the very essence of meaningful life.

5.      I’ve forgotten who wrote it, but I remember reading a sermon sometime ago based on this parable about three ways to relate to people.  The writer of the sermon described these three ways of relating to people as—

·         Beat’em up (as practiced by the robbers)

·         Pass’em up (as practiced by the priest and Levite)

·         Pick’em up (as practiced by the Samaritan)

      And when we understand life is, indeed, all about relationships, instead of beating up on people, or passing up people in need, we will be picking up and helping and developing meaningful relationships with people. That’s one thing good neighbors do.

II.  Good neighbors focus on the things that unite rather than divide, bring together rather than separate.

1.   It is ironic that this story has become known as the Parable of the “Good” Samaritan.  To most Jews living in first century Palestine, the term “Good Samaritan” was an oxymoron.  To them, there was no such thing as a “Good Samaritan.”  The deep seated racial and religious animosity between Jews and Samaritans had reached a fever pitch by the 1^st century.  Jews would do all they could to avoid Samaritans and Samaritans would do all they could to avoid Jews.

2.   And that Jesus would tell a story to a 1^st century Jewish audience in which a Samaritan is portrayed as the hero was shocking.  As the story unfolded and Jesus said in verse 33, “But a Samaritan ... came upon him...” the people hearing this story probably thought, “Well, this poor guy has had it now.  At least the priest and the Levite (a person who assisted the priests) did not do the injured man further harm.  But there is no telling what this Samaritan will do to this helpless Jew!”

3.   And when the Samaritan turns out to be the good neighbor, no doubt those who heard the story were stunned.  And the point of all that is good neighbors don’t erect barriers between people, they break them down.

4.   When the lawyer asked in verse 29, “And who is my neighbor?” he certainly did not have in mind the Samaritans.  That question implies that there are some boundaries, some parameters on the people we are to love.  And by telling this incredible story, Jesus was saying, “There are no boundaries, no parameters.  The command to love your neighbor as yourself must extend to all people, even your most hated enemies!”

5.   The hero of Jesus’ story had learned that lesson well.  Here was a Samaritan who had a perfect opportunity to do harm to a Jew.  But he did not allow the racial and religious barriers of his culture to keep him from responding in compassion to a fellow human being in need.  In Christ, the barriers that separate us from others should come tumbling down.  As Paul so eloquently put it in Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  In other words, in Christ the barriers of race, social status, and gender come tumbling down.

6.   Christianity is not an elitist religion.  If you want a religion that—

·         Elevates you over others...

·         Gives you a sense of power and control over others...

·         Says some people are more valuable, more important than others...

It is not the religion of Jesus Christ.  Genuine Christianity does not erect barriers between people; it breaks them down!  Good neighbors understand that.

III. Good neighbors are more others-centered than self-centered.

1.      The story of a man being robbed on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho could have been taken from the front page of a 1^st century newspaper, if they would have had newspapers in the 1^st century.  Such crimes on that particular road were a common occurrence.

2.      The road which connected Jerusalem to Jericho in the first century was an especially treacherous road.  To this day, the remnants of the old Roman road can be seen.  Some of you have traveled that road with me and you know how dangerous it is.  The road runs along the southern edge of the Wadi Kelt, which is a very deep ravine.  In a little less than 20 miles the road drops from Jerusalem, which is about 3000’ above sea level to Jericho which is about 1000’ below sea level. Because of the steep drop and rugged, isolated terrain there are numerous blind hair-pin turns in the road.  The many hiding places made this road a favorite hang-out for thieves and robbers.    

3.      Now notice what happens in the story.  The priest and the Levite, two people you would naturally expect to have compassion on an injured man, passed the man by.  They were so self-centered, they were not about to risk themselves to help a stranger in need.  The Samaritan, by way of contrast, risked himself, interrupted his journey, and gave of his resources, to help a stranger in need.  And when Jesus asked the lawyer, “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” (verse 36), the lawyer was forced to admit that it was the Samaritan, even though he refused to use that word.  Instead, he just said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” (verse 37)

4.      What I want you to see in that is that Jesus calls us to a life of being more others-centered than self-centered.  The way of the world says, “Take care of yourself first.  The most important words in all of life are me, my, and mine.  If after taking care of yourself, you can do something for others as well, that is good.  But keep your priorities straight!”

5.      The way of Jesus is just the opposite.  It says, “Focus on others.  Just as Jesus did not come to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom for many, so the way to find real life is to give your life away to others.”  Good neighbors understand that.                          Conclusion

1.   There is a wonderful account of Malcolm Muggeridge, the famous British intellectual, going to Calcutta, India, to visit with Mother Teresa.  On the first day he met Mother Teresa (a day that Muggeridge said changed his life forever) he found her working in a ghetto like he had never seen before.  There, amid the stench, filth, garbage, disease, and poverty, he found this internationally known woman.  And what struck Malcom Muggeridge about that scene was the look of perfect contentment on Mother Teresa’s face.  Here is the account of their initial conversation. (read interview)

2.   Be a good neighbor.  It will not only be good for others, but it will be good for you, as well!  How?  By—

·         Understanding that life is all about relationships

·         Focusing on the things that bring us together rather than drive us apart

·         Being others-centered instead of self-centered

3.   That’s what the Samaritan in this story did.  And at the end of the story, Jesus tells all who hear it to “Go and do the same.”